Convertible pitchfork and rake



Dec.4 23, 1924.

O. VETSCH CONVERTIBLE PITCHFORK AND ARAKE Filed Feb. 1, 1924 JVVIEWTOE.' MMV @M ATToRJvEK Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES OTHMAR VETSCH, OF ALBERTVILLE, MINNESOTA.

CONVERTIBLE PITCHFORK AND BAKE. i .T

Application filed February 1, 1924. Serial No. 690,077.

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, OTHMAR VETsoH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albertville, in the county of IVright and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Pitchforks and Rakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to agricultural implements and more particularly to a pitchfork adaptable for the usual purposes of handling hay, grain in the sheaf, straw, manure, etc., and also adaptable as a rake for facilitating the handling of such articles.

The object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient implement in which is combined the usefulness of two or more implements hitherto required for handling grain, straw and the like.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved pitchfork showing the fork in position to be used as a rake.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 showing also the position of the fork, in dotted lines, when used as a regular pitchfork.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of the left portion of Fig. 2 showing only a small part of the fork.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view as on line 4 4 in Fig. 3. Y

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, or face view, of the rear end of the fork locking arm of my device about as 0n line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 6 designates the usual wooden pitchfork handle. The front end of said handle may be reduced as at 8 and driven into the rear end of a tubular, metallic member 7 to hold them together permanently. Various other means (not shown) may be used for the same purpose.

The tube 7 may be bent some at 7n and its forward end projects thence forwardly at an angle, the walls of this part of the tube being flattened longitudinally to form two transversely spaced, parallel bars 9 the lower edges of which are connected by an integral web 10 (Fig. 4) but their upper edges are not united, their extreme forward ends forming a bifurcation 9". In said bifurcation I provide registering apertures 11 for a bolt 12 pivotally engaged by a central rocker arm extension 13a of a pitchfork 13. The extremity of arm 13a is pivotally engaged as at 14a by an elongated metal bar 14 which will hereinafter be called the locking bar. The latter bar extends rearwardly at Vall times from its pivot, down between walls 9, through an aperture 10a in web l1() in freely slidable Contact with a trans? 2, When in this position the rocker arm 13a` y lies entirely within and between walls 9 and web 10 of the tube 7, its arched end 13an protruding downwardly through aperture 10a. The lock bar 14 is then of course entirely outside of and below the web 10 and may be swung up against the under side of said web so that its free end can engage and be held by the shoulder 16@L of a spring catch 16. I have shown a desirable form of such spring catch consisting of a piece of spring wire secured as at 17 in the upper side of the tube 7, thence extending downwardly through a slot 18 in the lower side of the tube 7, its protruding end having the shoulder described. Said spring normally tends to spring forward into engagement with the end of bar 14 and the latter may of course be released by pushing the exposed end of the spring rearwardly.

It is well known that in cases such as cleaning barns, haying, etc., a common pitchfork must often be used as a rake to gather in stray straws and the like, and as this is a cumbersome manipulation of a pitchfork a rake is often kept handy for this purpose only. My device is readily convertible in a very serviceable rake by simply releasing the lock bar 14, then turning the fork on its pivot bolt 12 to a position at about right angles to the tube 7, this movement causing bar 144to be drawn upwardly through aperture 10a until only a small part of its free end protrudes below said aperture. On said latter end of the lock bar 14 I provide means for locking it so that the fork 13 may be rigidly held in said angular position. Said locking means consist preferably of an eccentric cam 2() pivoted as at 21 on the lock bar and having a finger lever 22. The cam has an eccentric sloping face 21a (see Figs. 4 and, 5) adapted to engage the web 10 at the lforward end of aperture 10a and the wedging action caused by turning the lever 22 wedges the cam and bar 14 between pin 15 and web 10, said bar being thereby securely locked and holding the fork 13 in its proper angular position for raking purposes. The cam action described is similar to the action .of a window sash fastener. By turning the cam lever 22 in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrow 23 in F ig. 5, the bar 14 is released and the fork 13 maybe swung back to vits position for use as a regular pitchfork.

24 is a small block welded' or otherwise secured on the rear side of bar 14 in such position that when the fork is used for raking purposes see Fig. 4) one end of said block engages the pin 15 and prevents accidental escape or' the bar from its locked position.

lVhat Iclaim is:

1. In a pitchfork of the class described, an elongated handle, a fork pivotally secu-red in one -end of said handle, means pivotally secured to said fork and operatively connected with the handle to hold the fork in .either or' two selective positions relative to the said handle, the forward end of said handle comprising a metallic extension mainly U-shaped in cross section and a bifurcation at its extremity, a central arm extension on said fork in a plane with its tines and pivotally secured in said bifurcation, a lock bar pivotally secured with one end to the extremity .of said fork extension and extending into the .LJ-shaped part of the handle and thence through an aperture therein, said means for holding the fork in angular rela- -tion to the handle comprising a cam pivotally secured to the lock bar and adapted to frictionally engage the handle at one end or' said aperture.

2. The .structure specilied in claim 1, in which said fork arm is arched at its eX- tremity, said arched portion adapted to protrude through said aperture in the handle when the vi'ork is swung to a position in linea-r relation to the handle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

oTHMAR vETsoH. 

